Home On The Range
by CrystalB4
Summary: When Bella looses the most influential person in her life she's left to fend for herself on the ranch that now belongs to her in the foothills of Wyoming. Hard lessons are learned and new friends are made and Bella learns that life goes on no matter what
1. Chapter 1

_**Before we start lets get the technicalities out of the way, shall we? **_

_**All things Twilight related belong to our wonderful Stephenie M. Without her we would all be at a great loss for anything fun and exciting to do. We love you girl!**_

_**Everything else belongs to me so please if you want to use it, ask. I'm a really nice person most of the time **___

_**Prologue**_

I threw my head back and the sounds that escaped my throat were animalistic. My behind slapped against the saddle over and over with every thrust and as it did, I arched my back over it, my head resting on an attached saddle bag. I brought my hands up to either side of my head grasping hold of the rugged leather causing my chest to bow into the night air.

The cool air mixed with the heat coursing through my body made my hardened nipples impossibly harder. Now partially supporting myself he was able to free his left hand from my ass ghosting it over the flesh of my stomach up to the mounds that were begging for his attention. There, he pinched and pulled eliciting soft moans and mewls from me. My hands found purchase in the hair at the nape of his neck tugging and pulling, holding him in place for a few brief seconds before he pulled back and placed kisses to my chest.

"Bella, god, do you know what you do to me? How you make me feel? I've wanted you just like this since the first time I laid eyes on you. It's wrong, I'm not that kind of man but you do things, indescribable things to me," he managed in pants as he continued to thrust into me, filling me, making me feel more pleasure than I was sure was legal in Wyoming.

More grunts and mewls filled the tiny cocoon of space around us. His pace picked up and I knew I wouldn't last much longer.

"Oh God, Don't Stop," it was almost a scream but not loud enough for the ones sleeping close by to hear. I think.

I arched my chest higher into the air seeking more friction I suppose, and was rewarded with just that. Now the curly hairs that sat between his hips were brushing against my clit creating the most amazing sensation along with his thrust sending me over my edge and into blissful euphoria.

"Bella, Oh Bella," he called out and his thrusts now became for frantic and out of sync as he too neared his own blissful euphoria. He reached his right hand on around my back until he was grasping my right hip as he thrust once…twice….three more times, hard, into my core finally giving in and releasing all that he had into me.

I collapsed against the saddle beneath me; hard pants came from my lips as I tried to control my labored breathing.

Kisses were being placed over my upper body as he slowly and softly rocked into me as he came back to earth

"Bella that was…"

"WoW," I completed his sentence for him, knowing that 'wow' was simply the only descriptive word I was able to use at the moment.

"WoW," he laughed, pressing his lips against my ribs causing me to giggle and jerk forward as a reflex to the tickle.

After tucking himself back into his pants he set my feet down on the floor of the barn, making sure that I was able to stand after being in my previous position before he stepped away and retrieved my panties from the post outside of the saddle room. Being the gentleman that he was, he squatted down and helped me back into them before returning his pants and shirt back to their rightful conditions.

I smoothed the wrinkles from my denim skirt then found my discarded bra and flannel shirt and put them back on as well. Once the task of redressing was finished I glanced up at him through my lashes.

I wasn't sure how he would feel now. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth gnawing at it. We were hardly acquaintances before, what were we now?

Before I had a chance to ask, or form any more thought on the subject, he wrapped me tightly in his arms and kissed me fiercely. Passionately.

Breaking the kiss he stepped away from me, placed his Resistol cowboy hat back atop his head, "So breakfast is at seven sharp right?" And with that he smiled his beautiful smile bid me a goodnight and left me breathless and wanting round two.


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: I want to start by saying thank you for stopping by to read my story and I also want to send a HUGE thank you to my betas Lindz and Corky. You are awesome amazing and I really appreciate it! So here is the first chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**_

Chapter 1- In life there is death

"Bella please let me give you a make-over. I promise I won't make you into a floozy. You'll look sophisticated and beautiful and, most of all, like a real girl," Cowgirl Barbie gushed.

I wasn't what I would call beautiful but I didn't look too bad even if I did have to say so myself. I wasn't pencil thin like some of the girls I knew; I wasn't blond haired or blue eyed. I didn't wear makeup unless it was a very special occasion or if Alice, the afore mentioned Cowgirl Barbie and my best friend's sister, got a hold of me. I was brown haired, brown eyed, curvy in all the right places, freckle-faced Plain-Jane Bella Swan. Definitely nothing to get excited about dressing up.

"Alice I just don't know. The last time I let you take my body over the only thing I was missing to complete my attire was a pole and a stripper name," I whined and flopped myself down on Gran's front porch swing.

"No fair; we were twelve and I was just beginning to learn about fashion. I'm better now. I promise." Her pleas were not going to break my granite like exterior; I wouldn't let them.

"Please, please!" I swear her puppy dog eyes got bigger and sadder every time she used them on me.

"Oh, Bella, what would it hurt to indulge the child every once in a while? Go on girl; let the pixie play with you. Who knows, she might have a trick or two up her sleeve that you just might like."

"I doubt it," I mumbled under my breath, defeat very evident in my tone.

"Yippee!" Alice squealed as she jumped up from her place where she had been begging just before.

"Thanks Gran." I mustered up my most sarcastic grin for Gran as I stood and crossed the porch following behind Alice.

The air was crisp with the tiniest hint of a chill. Winter was almost over and we were all ready to welcome the spring. The ranch was looking ragged from the long cold winter we had had and was ready for the much needed repairs that springtime would allow.

This past winter had been hard on us all, Emmett and Alice included. They had lost their mother in a terrible car accident back in November, and shortly after, their father moved to New York, where his brothers lived in hopes of starting his life over. The last part really sucked for our little town here in Wyoming because Carlisle was a very prestigious doctor who everyone trusted and went to for any and all medical needs.

I'll never forget the time I had to go to him to be put on birth control. I was so scared he would tell my father, or worse Gran, but he never did. Strictly confidential, he had told me giving me reassurance that my secret was safe with him. I was ashamed of myself for not waiting on 'The One,' as Gran would call it, to have sex with(,) but at the time I had a boyfriend that was constantly pushing for the 'next step' in our relationship and I felt that if I was even considering sex I needed to be responsible about it. I didn't need any accidents. Fortunately, I didn't really have a need for them at that time, my will was stronger than his persistence and he eventually gave up on me and moved on to a hooch that gave up her goods on their first date. I think he ended up with the clap or something like that.

Anyways, back to the story.

The winter also brought along a lot of illness for Gran and, of course, with Carlisle gone she refused to see anyone else, _stubborn ol' goat_. Pneumonia had plagued Gran on a couple of occasions this year and she still hadn't totally recovered from her last bout of it. I was a little worried about her but she was tough, she'd survive.

"Alice I swear if you make my hair stand up all over my head like some eighties era slut I will feed Scuttles," her horse, "all the horse junk food I can find until she's too fat to fit in any of those annoying sweater thingies you got her." At that, Alice rolled her eyes and dragged me off to her torture chambers to be her prisoner.

* * *

"Oh. My. God. Bella Swan in a dress!" Emmett doubled over in laughter as Alice announced my attire before I entered the room. _And to think that man is my best friend. _It was an oddity to see me in a dress, I hated them with a passion, but I did own a couple of them. The one Alice had picked out for me to wear was denim with medium brown leather vine design over the skirt, denim and leather fringe at the bottom and a v-neck that showed enough cleavage to make a man stare for a beat longer than he should. To complete my outfit I wore my tan leather boots with the brass toe. My make-up was done in all neutrals with a hint of red across my lips. After several attempts by Alice to warm up my colors I finally cracked and let her have her way, just a little.

Slowly I crossed the threshold into the room where Emmett, Gran and a few of the ranch hands sat waiting for dinner to be finished.

"Oh dear, Bella. Look at you, you look stunning. Who knew that a razor and some shaving gel could make those chicken legs look so stunning?" Gran gasped as I walked further into the room. Emmett's laughter died out and was replaced with whistling and cat calling.

"My, my Bella, I must say that color suits you nicely," Emmett said appreciatively. He stood up and took my hand signaling me to turn around so that he could take all of me in. "Mmhumm, yes very nice indeed," he finished up.

"Bella, you look lovely dear; good work Miss Alice," Emily praised as she came into the room to announce that dinner was ready.

"Thank you Miss Emily," I shyly replied tucking a stray strand of hair back behind my ear. Alice on the other hand giggled and clapped her hands excitedly as she basked in all the praises her handy work was receiving.

"Girl, why don't you youngins' eat you some supper then take off and paint the town red for the night?" Gran offering me the night off was a rarity. I was always in charge of seeing to all the nightly chores, like making sure all the barns were closed up for the night, and that all the animals were where they were supposed to be, and the gates secured and locked.

"Thanks Gran, are you sure? I could take care of my things before we head out," I offered to do my share. We all had very important jobs to do and none of them were small. I hated the thought of someone else, especially my Gran, having to take on my responsibilities.

"Don't be foolish girl; I've got this. You go have fun, but eat you something before you go, alcohol doesn't mix well with an empty stomach and I want you to be able to do your work tomorrow," Gran warned as she passed by me patting my shoulder on her way through to the kitchen.

* * *

The evening flew by, we were having so much fun and before I knew it, it was closing time and Emmett, Angela, Ben, Alice and I were being escorted out of the bar. I think we danced until my boots wore blisters on the bottoms of my feet. Emmett was one hell of a dancer I had to admit.

After Angela called us one of those mini-van taxies to take us back home, we spread ourselves along the curb and broke out in a bad chorus of "Home on the Range."

"Home, Home on the range," I spouted out and Emmett continued.

"Where the beer and the cantaloupe lay."

"NO! IT'S DEER AND ANTELOPE PLAY," we all shouted in unison at Emmett who had sorely messed up our rendition of "Home on the Range."

"Oh shut the flip up; I'm singing this song," he replied as he righted himself into a sitting position, propping himself up on his hands. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah, beer and cantaloupe, I mean deer and antelope play. Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, ANNNNNNNND…"

"The skies are not cloudy all ," we all finished up and bouts of laughter overtook us all. We spent the rest of our wait reminiscing over the last few years and, of course, Angela and Ben had to rub it in our faces that they were happy and in love and getting married in a few months. _They make me sick sometimes._

Angela and Ben both came to Gran's ranch to work and experience the true 'wild west' the summer after they each graduated, Angela a star student who wanted to rebel against mommy and daddy and Ben the city slicker. They both worked in the gardening shed and I guess you could say it was love at first plant. At the end of the summer, when it was time for all the hired summer help to leave, they both pert-near begged Gran to let them stay and help out through the winter and fall months and they've been with us pretty much ever since.

Our taxi arrived shortly after our song ended, for that I was glad because the alcohol in my system was wreaking havoc on me and I felt like I either needed to hurl or lay down and sleep, and I'd much rather it be the latter of the two.

_

* * *

_

Mmm, nothing like good ol' bacon in the morning to getcha goin… Wait! Where's the bacon smell?

Careful not to rise up too fast, for fear of a terrible hangover, I got up out of my warm queen sized haven and trudged to the bathroom to take care of my morning rituals. I wondered momentarily why Gran wasn't cooking bacon this morning; she always fixed me bacon and biscuits for breakfast, but I figured I had probably slept late and she didn't want to bother with messing up the dishes when lunch would be fixed soon.

After finishing up in the bathroom I made my way down to the kitchen to find that no one was insight. Nothing was out of place, the coffee pot wasn't on, and the dinner dishes were still in the drainer. Dread flooded my senses. Something was wrong; I just knew it. I raced into the den to find that the large grandfather clock said that it was already five fifteen in the morning. Why wasn't Gran busy in the kitchen? She always fixed breakfast for everyone here, even on the mornings where she was so sick she could hardly hold her head up she was still down here milling around, helping Emily and insisting that she was fine enough to do her part. I ran out the front door, still in my pajamas and bare-footed, and called out getting no replying answer. I rushed out to the stables thinking that maybe she had gone out to let the horses out early because of some storms we were supposed to get later that day, but she wasn't there. My heart beat wildly in my chest as the dread thickened and I knew without a doubt that something had happened to my Gran, something very bad.

With great trepidation I went back inside the house and slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor where Gran and I both slept. The floor boards creaked and whined in protest as I slowly made my way down the hallway praying to God that he please let my Gran be okay.

The further down the hall I crept the darker my surroundings became, somewhat foreshadowing what I was about to find on the other side of Gran's bedroom door. Once I could go no further without opening the door I firmly placed one index finger against it and gave a quick push allowing the door to swing open wide.

I froze.

Silence filled the room, not even the sounds of slumbering breath filling the air.

She laid there looking peaceful and happy with somewhat of a smile on her face. Her eyes were closed and her hands were folded over one another and tucked behind her head like she would always sleep. Her gown not ruffled, proof that she had not been dreaming; she looked as though she had just climbed into bed. The glass of water she always took to bed with her sat on her night stand obviously untouched from the night before. Her house shoes sat waiting on her to slip them on when she began her daily chores for the next day but today, and forever more, they would go untouched by the soles of her feet.

She was gone.

Like a candle whose flickering flame was blown out by the breeze, she was gone.

She was gone.

Suddenly I felt like I was going to be sick and ran down the hall to the bathroom where I spilled the contents of my empty stomach into the toilet.

_She is gone. _My mind kept repeating over and over again.

The woman who had shaped me in so many ways and pretty much made me who I was today was gone. No more stories about the 'good ol' days,' or girl talks about love and life that only Gran could give, no more 'centuries old' warm fudge cake or crazy cooking lessons. No more calling me out when I was cheating during a friendly game of Rook. No more hard lessons in love.

No, my Gran was gone.

Dry heaves wracked my body over and over as realization hit me that my Gran had, in fact, passed away during the night while I was out 'living it up'. _If only I had been here with her, maybe I could have saved her. _

But I knew better.

She had died in her sleep that much was evident.

I forced myself up from the floor of the bathroom and made my way downstairs to the only phone in the whole house. There I called 9-1-1 and told Mrs. Banner at the call center that I needed the coroner and if she would call Mr. Bartley and ask him to bring the hearse over. Without asking, Mrs. Banner knew that my Gran had passed away and, like the good Christian woman she was, she offered me her condolences and told me if there was anything she could do for me not to hesitate to call. I told her I would, though it was a lie, and hung up.

My next phone call was the hardest thing I think I had ever had to do in all twenty-seven years of my life. I had to call my father and tell him that his mother had gone to heaven to be with grandpa Swan.

"Dad, I need you to come out to Gran's please," I somberly spoke the words hoping that he couldn't hear the sadness in my voice but knowing that it was very much there.

"Bella what's wrong hun? I'm really busy today here at the office, state inspectors are coming in next week and this squad is nowhere near ready for them." I could hear my father shuffling papers, probably just cramming them in file drawers to get them out of the way; he never did have any organizational skills.

"Um, dad this is very important. I really need you to come down this morning please." Hot tears ran down my cheeks and a hard lump formed in my throat causing my voice to quiver and crack enough to raise Charlie's suspicions.

"Bell's what's going on? Let me talk to Gran."

"Dad," was all I was able to choke out before the dams broke and unstoppable tears poured down my face. I let out a hard sob and that was all it took for my father to be on his way. I didn't even remember hanging up the phone or when Jason Pelum, the county coroner, and Mr. Bartley arrived.

Angela and Ben helped me to the front porch swing and somewhere in the midst of all the comings and goings someone had called Emmett.

"Oh Bella, honey, I'm so sorry." Emmett wiped away his tears as he ran up the porch steps and to the swing where I was sitting. He picked me up and sat down in my spot with me encased in his arms. We wrapped around each other and cried in unison.

I wasn't sure how long I lay against his chest, him rocking me, before my father arrived. I could hear my father demanding to know what happened to his mother and arguing that his mother was the picture of perfect health when the coroner said that it appeared as though she had died of natural causes.

Sometime later I heard Charlie stomp out the front door slamming it and then stomp off the porch. Soon the heavy stable door, that had yet to be opened, bam-ed against the side of the building and I could hear the sounds of hooves pounding against the ground.

"I'll be back later," Charlie called out as he ran his horse at full momentum past the house and into the west fields where it would take him a full day's ride just to get to the border where Gran's property met the Bighorn River.

Gran's body was finally removed from the house and taken to the crematory where she was turned to ash so that dad and I could spread her remains over the ranch when we were ready to let her go.

We had a memorial service for her and I was such a blubbering mess that I couldn't even stand up at the podium and say what I had written on my stupid cards. Gran would have been laughing her ass off at me if she would have been there. I really hoped that she didn't come back to haunt me for that considering she would have killed me for all the crying I was doing at her "death party" as she liked to call such events like memorials and funerals.

* * *

A few days later Gran's lawyer, Mr. Jenks, called to ask me to attend the reading of Gran's last will and testament. I told him of course I would be there and he informed me that Charlie, Emmett and my mother were also attending. Great, that meant I had to deal with Renée for the day. _Thanks Gran,_ I sarcastically thought after hanging up the phone.

Gran's will went pretty much as we all expected it to with the exception of her leaving Renee assets, which really shocked me considering she had a very strong dislike for my mother.

I got the ranch and all that went with it and a sizeable trust fund to help me through the first years of operating the ranch on my own. Dad got a sizeable trust fund as well along with a few stocks and bonds and, of course, his horse Lucky and a simple request that he find a decent girl and marry her before he kicked the bucket same as her. She sent no apologies to my mother for her 'decent girl' comment, that made me smile. Emmett got the deed back to a part of his farm that he didn't even know he wasn't supposed to have. Apparently his father had sold it to Gran years ago but she continued to allow him to tend to it, and of course he got ownership of "his" horses, the untamable mustangs that were housed on the ranch. What really shocked me was that my Gran had left my mother the small cabin that sat on the east side of the ranch. She knew how much my mother could crawl under my skin, but in her will she stated that a girl needed some female influence in her life even if it was her "good for nothin' mother", therefore she wanted Renée close by for me.

I wasn't happy about it but I would not protest against Gran's wishes, as long as Renee stayed out from under my toes we would be good.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe that half my farm was never really mine. No one ever told me any different B; if they would have I'd paid Gran back a long time ago," Emmett, nonsensically, apologized as we drove away from the city.

"Hell, Em, I didn't know either, but it was nice of her to give it back to you after all this time."

"Yea, I just wonder why my dad had to sell it to Gran in the first place. Not that he would ever tell me, even if I asked," he huffed never taking his eyes off the road ahead of us. Emmett had some major daddy issues now that his father was gone but now wasn't the time to bring them up.

"I don't know, maybe he would. It was nice to see him at Gran's funeral." I offered up and our conversation ended. The next sixty-five minutes of the drive were spent in silence, well mostly, with the exception of Emmett's horrible singing/mumbling thingy he did subconsciously when it was too quiet. The man honestly couldn't stand the quiet.

When we finally got home it was already dark and everyone else was either on their way to bed or doing things I had no interest in knowing about. I gave a half hearted g'night to Emmett and went in the house. I just wanted the tranquility of my room and the comfort of my bed. The past week had been hell on my nerves and I hadn't slept but a couple hours each night since I found Gran in her room. Doctor Cullen had offered me a hand full of valium saying it would help calm my nerves and help me sleep. Even for his short, one-day stay he could see that I was stressed to the max and wasn't sleeping, but I kindly declined his offer and assured him that if I needed anything I'd let him know.

_Boy I sure could use one of those little white pills now. Stupid Bella._

Totally exhausted, I grabbed a quick shower washing the necessary parts only, I'd cover all the bases after I got some sleep, and then climbed into bed. I was asleep almost instantaneously as my head it the pillow, but the peacefulness didn't last long.

_**End Note: Some people may want to know when I'll be posting so here it is. I'm hoping to be able to post on an every two week schedule. That gives me time for writing and life, oh and my betas. If I happen to stray from this a little please don't be made with me, four kids and a full time job can be overwhelming at times. **_

_**I hope you liked it and as always please leave a review.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Twilight = Not Mine. 4 kids that yell incessantly = Mine. Yea I know ****. **

**Shout out to my wonderful betas Lindz and Corky. You girls are the crème de la crème and I appreciate you both more than I can ever express! **

**Hope today finds everyone doing good. Here is the next installment of HotR. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 2**

"_Gran, what are you doing in my bed?" I was rolled into her side. She was cold, too cold._

"_Gran?" I shook her shoulder trying to wake her up but it didn't work._

"_Gran, wake up." I shook her harder this time. "Gran, Wake Up," harder still. I was beginning to panic. _

_Why wouldn't she wake up?_

_I was hovering over her now, "GRAN YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!"_

"_I can't do this without you," I pleaded with her, tears streaming down my face._

"_Gran," I called out in one last ditch effort to wake her from the dead knowing good and well that I wouldn't be able to._

_She was dead. Dead as dead could be and still I wasn't willing to accept it._

_I climbed over her lifeless body and shook her again with all the strength I had._

"_Please, please I can't do this without you. I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm going to mess it all up. You know I will," sobs overtook my body but I continued to push against her._

"_Gran, No!" I cried out again._

I awoke with a start propping myself up on my elbows.

I looked to my left then back to my right scared of what I would find but the space was empty. Gran wasn't here with me. She would never be here with me again.

Tears continued to stream, uncontrollably, down my sweat covered face as I tried to catch my breath and steady my racing pulse. I hated this dream. I'd had it every night since the morning I'd…..well you know, found Gran.

It was the same stinking dream over and over and I always woke up doing the same thing, pouring in sweat, crying, and breathless with my heart racing ninety to nothing.

When I had told Emmett about the dream he told me I was only having it because I was terrified of running the ranch by myself, to which he also told me I would always have him by my side, I'd never be alone and he would help me every step of the way. I could not have asked for a better best friend in this whole wide world.

I looked over to the alarm clock on my night stand and saw that it was already five a.m. _Time to get up anyways, _I acknowledged before throwing the covers back and getting out of bed.

I re-showered and dressed for work. Today would signify the official beginning of my life as owner of the Howdy Y'all Ranch, and whether I was ready or not, the time had come for me to take my rightful place at its helm.

I went out and opened up all the barns and out buildings, just like I would when tourist season began in another month or so. I opened up all the stables letting the horses free that Angela and Ben had brought in the night before. I made a mental note to thank them both for the extra work they had taken on since…well, you know.

Once everything was unlocked and open I went about the duties of feeding all the animals. I forked hay out of the loft above the stables into the feeding area for the horses, and then dropped a few bags of horse feed into the troughs. Next I headed over to the chicken coop and tossed out several cups of seed causing the hens to vacate their nests in search of food making it easier for me to go in after the eggs. J_ust a little trick Emmett had taught me when we were ten and I hated collecting eggs._

After that was taken care of, I backed my old work truck up to the side of the barn where we kept all the animal food and loaded it down with hay and feed for the cattle troughs. I only had about seventeen of those suckers to find and fill up. This once was Gran's chore and I had only helped her a dozen times or more in the last decade- you know, beauty rest and all- so I hoped that I would be able to find them all. Once that task was taken care of, luckily I found all the troughs, the sun indicated that it was roughly eleven o'clock and according to my growling stomach I should have had breakfast several hours ago. _Gran would have already had the morning chores done and breakfast on the table for everyone. _

_God I miss her._

Shaking the sad thoughts from my head, I didn't have time for that, I hurried back to the house and began a hearty lunch for everyone since I had neglected to fix breakfast.

"Hello Emily," I greeted the best ranch cook in the history of all ranch cooks, as I walked into the kitchen. She looked very tired; obviously her new beau had kept her up late last night.

"Hey Miss Bella," she shyly replied, and then turned her head back to the vegetables she was working on for dinner. I noticed a slight discolored patch of skin at the back of her neck where her ponytail was, I'm sure, supposed to cover the skin.

"Late night?" I just had to ask then hide the snicker that was threatening to escape me.

"Um, yea sort of. Is it that obvious?" Somewhat of a smirk graced her lips as she half turned toward me, and then back to her task.

"Just a little," I couldn't help the bit of laughter that came out as I tapped the hickey with my finger before continuing, "Are you already starting on lunch?"

"No, I have to get this cut up and on the stove before I can tend to anything else. Any ideas about what you might like for lunch today? I was supposed to warm up leftovers but seeing as how no one has had to cook this past week and all we don't really have any leftovers to cook." She gave me an apologetic look over her shoulder; I sighed and walked over to the fridge to see what we had.

"I don't know, we've got some corned beef sliced up. What about Ruben sandwiches and homemade fries?" My stomach picked that moment to rumble loud enough to echo in the large kitchen.

Giggling, Emily answered, "I think your stomach has answered for us all."

I couldn't help but laugh too. "Yea, I guess it has."

"Em, I just didn't realize she kept up with so much. I know her calendar always had different kinds of marks on it but I didn't realize they all had a purpose. Do you know that just in the past week there were two different men supposed to come look at the cattle to give quotes on slaughtering the ones that are ready? They both left several messages for Gran and the last ones weren't so nice. What do I do? I'm not sure I can explain that she's dead and that's why she didn't call and no one was here," I whined over the phone to Emmett.

It seemed as though everything was so overwhelming.

"_B, it's okay, they'll understand. Those two men have been working with your Gran for a very long time."_

"I'm not sure if _I_ can explain it Em. I'm afraid it will hurt too much."

He blew out a strong puff of air over the phone before he replied, _"You want me to call them?"_

"Please?" I wasn't above begging. I didn't know anything about dealing with these kinds of people and I knew it was wrong of me to just let Emmett do it. I needed to learn about this stuff, but he had always helped Gran with stuff like this when people would show up for inspections and things of that sort and well…well I just didn't want to deal with it at the time.

"_B, don't worry I'll take care of it. Listen, I've got to go, I'll see you at supper."_

"Thanks Em, I love you so much," I exclaimed.

"_I love you too, B." _With that we hung up the phone and I went back to sorting through the mess that Gran had left for me.

Over supper Ben informed me of some repairs that two of the barns were in desperate need of.

"Miss Bella, the roof on both the north barn and the west one are in need of replacing and I found the place in the fence where the cattle keep getting out."

"Oh, and I found a water leak in the basement here today while I was looking for the green beans we canned last fall. It wasn't bad, but I'm sure it will get that way fast if it isn't tended too quickly," Emily chimed in as she sat a rather large bowl of beef stew in the middle of the table.

"Great," I flopped back in my chair slightly overwhelmed by all the repairs that were needed.

"Chill out B, I'll help you, we'll get it done." Emmett's encouraging words were not very encouraging.

How were Emmett, Ben and myself going to get all the work done in a reasonable amount of time before everything started caving in on me? How was I going to keep all the meetings Gran already had planned? How was I supposed to do Gran's job like she used to do it_? _Rggg… _Gran, I need you, _I silently pleaded towards the heavens in hope of getting a reply.

"Miss Bella, we will find a way," Ben promised with conviction as he offered me the ladle for the stew.

"Ya know, I could ask Sam if some of the boys from the rez would be interested in helping out. I'm sure they wouldn't expect much of a salary, just a warm place to sleep and food for their bellies." Emily's boyfriend, Sam was an Arapaho and lived on the Wind River Reservation that was a few miles east of the ranch.

"Hey, that would be a good idea B, and if they turn out to be good workers then maybe you could ask them to stay for the summer season. It'd be a few less people you'll have to interview in a few weeks." _Oh Shit! _I had totally forgotten about having to hire for this year's tourist season.

"Just one more thing to add to my forever long list of things I've got to get fucking done around here." I pushed myself away from the table and my chair made a horrible screeching sound in protest of the swift movement. "Emily, thank you for this wonderful supper but I've lost my appetite. I'm goin' to gra… my office. Oh, and Emily, please ask Sam to give me a call, I'll give him my requirements for applicants and if any of the boys meet them, then I'll consider hiring them." On the way to the office, I could feel the beginnings of tears stinging my eyes. I sniffled a couple times in a failed effort to hold the tears at bay but it didn't stop the wetness from streaming down my cheeks. I couldn't decide if they were tears of sadness or from just being overwhelmed, or from both. Probably the latter.

Definitely the latter.

"Ya know, it's not quite as bad as you make it out to be," Emmett stated as he walked into the office and sat in one of the oversized plush chairs.

"Really? It sure doesn't feel that way," I barked in response, then had to apologize for my rudeness. "I'm sorry," I took a deep breath and released it. "I know. It just seems like I've got so much to do and such little time to do it in and it's all my responsibility to make sure that it gets done. I'm not used to all this responsibility, I'm not sure I even want it." I slumped down in my chair and tossed my hands over my face to hide the tears that were still streaming down my face.

"Don't say that B! Don't say that you don't want this place 'cause I couldn't afford to buy it and I sure as hell won't be able to tolerate new neighbors. I wouldn't even have a place to keep my horses if you sold this place. I'd have to build a stable of my own and you know how freakin' hard that would be. I kinda like yours, it's spacious and bright red, which is my favorite color, and the best part about it is that it's already assembled," Emmett emphasized the 'already assembled' part by arching his eyebrows at me.

"Don't worry Em; I could never really get rid of this place. It's my home; it was Gran's home." I laid my head down on my desk. I was physically and emotionally exhausted.

"Good. Now you need to come back to the kitchen and eat you somethin'. All this stress isn't good for you and you don't need to be addin' to it by not eating," he declared just like the doctor's son that he was and got up and left the room. I could hear his heavy foot steps as he walked back down the hallway into the kitchen. I pulled my moist hands back from my face and took a deep, calming breath.

_If I survived the tourist season I was going to have to find something amazing to do or get for Emmett for being so good to me._

The rest of the week flew by in a rush. Both Laurent and Caden came and went over the herd of cattle with a fine tooth comb and came back with about the same amount that were ready for the slaughter; Caden had the better price so I chose him for the job. Emmett told me that I made the right choice then grumbled something about he didn't like that Laurent had stared at my ass the whole time.

I spoke with Sam the morning after my mini meltdown. He said he had a couple guys that would be good for the jobs I needed done since they worked in construction on the reservation but were not working on anything at the moment. I told him to send them out Friday for interviews and that I would make the decision myself whether or not they would be suitable for the job.

Finally Friday arrived, "Miss Bella, Sam's boys are here to see you," Emily stuck her head in my office to announce.

"Send them in please." She nodded and pushed the door open wider to reveal the two very tall, very muscular, very tan men.

They each had ebony hair pulled in a ponytail at the nape of their necks; it wasn't annoying long hair; it was about to their shoulders just enough to pull back in the rubber band. Their skin looked as though it hadn't seen a days worth of work in the sun ever, though I knew better, it looked soft and moist and I had the urge to reach out and touch it but I settled for clenching my hands into fists instead. The one with the chocolate honey eyes, I later learned was Jacob Black, smiled at me and instantly the room lit up as though someone had opened the blinds and let the morning sun in.

"Um. Hi, I'm Embry Call and this here is Jacob Black. We came for the interview," Embry said breaking me away from rude ogling. I clicked on my professional façade that I had recently acquired.

"Hello, I've been expecting you. My name is Bella Swan, and please have a seat." I motioned to the two oversized plush chairs in front of my desk and both men sat down.

Jacob seemed to be at a loss for words so Embry was their spokesman. "Miss Bella, Sam told us you needed a couple guys to help with some repairs on your ranch and we met your requirements and volunteered to come out to see what the details of the job were and to discuss payment." Embry got straight to the point. I think he was a little disapproving of Jacob's blatant staring and wanted our meeting to be over with.

"Yea, I've got several repairs that need tending too." Even though I meant that in a totally innocent manner I think it came out as a little more judging by the look on both men's faces. I wasn't sure what it was about these two men, lust maybe, but it was very foreign to me and made my insides fill with butterflies and heat. I hurriedly got up from my seat and rushed around my desk to the door. "Come with me and I'll show you." _Shit that didn't sound any better._

I led the guys out, explaining that the house was in need of some plumbing work and I was hopefully going to be doing some remodeling by the end of the summer. We walked out to the garage behind the house and I started up the golf cart. It was a sucky way to get around the ranch but necessary when conducting business such as I was.

"What? We don't get to ride the horses," Jacob finally spoke. His voice was silky smooth with a western twang to it.

"Nope, not today, unless you guys accept the job today." I smiled at them before punching the gas and starting us off with a jerk.

At the first barn we got out of the cart and I took them around to the back side where there was a ladder and I began to climb it.

"Miss Bella, let me go ahead of you in case the roof is weak." Jacob pulled me from the ladder and started up. Under normal circumstances it would have pissed me off but since Embry had seen my angry expression and let me go up second, meaning I got to look at Jacob's toned ass all the way up, I was okay with it.

I must say that Jacob had a very nice ass.

The same heat from earlier began to creep through my body once again and I could feel the blush rushing over my skin as not so clean thoughts of Jacob's ass filled my mind.

Embry asked me something on the climb up but I couldn't break away from ogling Jacob long enough to hear let alone answer him.

"Um, what was that?" I asked, slightly embarrassed by my lack of attention.

"Will you be replacing the roofs with metal or shingles?"

"Oh, I guess metal." I really wasn't sure what to answer with but seeing as they were metal roofs right now it only seemed fit to replace them with more metal. Not that I really was able to think about metal roofs at the moment.

"We may be able to save you some money on the roofs then. Only replace what is damaged," he muttered as if he were making mental notes out loud rather than talking to me.

"Sounds great to me. Shall I take you over to the next barn? It's in need of more work than this one is." Both men walked a small span of the roof and returned to the edge where I stood.

"Sure," Jacob answered as he began the descent back down the ladder and Embry motioned for me to go second. This in turn gave me a fine view of his rear-end too.

Not quite as impressive as Jacob's was but still it was nice to look at. _God what is wrong with me? I'm supposed to be considering these men for hire. Well I could more than likely kiss Gran's non-fraternization policy goodbye. _

As I neared the last five steps on the ladder I felt a very large, very warm hand on the small of my back just above my butt. I startled at the sensation causing my grip to slip on the ladder thus forcing me into the hardened chest of Jacob.

"I've got you Bella." He caught me bridal style then turned me so that my chest was against his; his arms wrapped securely around me, my feet dangling in the air, before sliding me down his chest to the ground where I righted myself but didn't pull away from his cage-like, toned arms. "You okay?" he asked, concern etched in his face causing his eyebrows to scrunch together.

"Y-ea." Blush crept up my face as I inhaled deeply allowing his dirt and leather scent to assault my senses before stepping back from the security of his embrace.

This did not help my dirty mind from conjuring up more fantasies.

Inspection of the other roofs went pretty much as before, where I observed the cutest asses I'd ever seen climb stair after stair, only I tried my best not to fall off any more ladders every time I felt Jacob's hand guide me down when I neared the bottom of the stairs. Though I think he was secretly hoping I would fall again.

After the barns were taken care of I showed them the sections of fence that were in need of repair. They agreed with me that the fence should be fixed before anything else to prevent the animals from escaping the fields. Then I let both boys go under the main house while I held the door open so that they could make notes of the repairs that would need to be done. What? Surely you didn't expect me to go under the house; spiders live under there and if there is one thing in this world that I absolutely can't stand it's spiders. I'm terrified of the little eight legged freaks! Once finished with that, we returned to my office to discuss payment and accommodation issues and if they were willing to take on the job.

Both men agreed to my terms and rules that all ranch hands had to abide by and they also agreed to my terms of payment meaning that I would provide the essentials: food and shelter and a reasonable wage from now until the end of the tourist season in late September and possibly on into the fall season provided the tourist season brought in enough money to begin remodeling then.

With all the rough stuff settled they agreed that they could start the following Friday and I told them I would see them bright and early then. Gran always had the new recruits come in the weekend before they were scheduled to begin working on the ranch; that way they had a few days to learn where everything was and the normal routine for how things were ran; I thought it was best if I kept that as one of my rules too, it always seemed to work out well for her so I kept it.

As I watched both men leave down the driveway my dirty mind saddened to see that the cutie's were leaving but knowing that they would be coming back to spend at least the next six months with us opened up all kinds of kinky fantasy possibilities.

The next week was hectic. Everything seemed to be coming at me uber fast. Luckily, Gran had kept all the applications and reviews for the employees from last year in the filing cabinet so as I went through all the new applications for this year I was able to call back all the ones that had reapplied for their old positions and invite them back.

Emily was the luckiest, all of her kitchen staff from last year had reapplied and all of Gran's comments about the kitchen staff were good so I had no reason not to hire them back. Jessica Stanley, one of the most cheerful hostess' I had ever met, reapplied and I gladly took her back as well. In all honesty, Jessica and I had grown up together and we were pretty good friends as long as she wasn't trying to jump Emmett's bones.

Of course I called Sue Clearwater's children, Leah and Seth back to help out and luckily they agreed. Seth wasn't quite old enough to work with the guests since he was only sixteen, but he was old enough to help with the yard crew and keep the young teenage girls swooning after him with his matured physique and his awesome pool skills. Leah, though she could be a mega bitch, was very organized and the best when it came to keeping the guest books. She really didn't like me much but this year I would consider her my right hand girl and second in command when I was unavailable so we had to find our middle ground. It was possible but we were both going to have to work at it.

I made a few more calls and set up interviews for the next week, then called it a night.

The next morning I awoke feeling well rested and ready to face the day. I wanted to make a good impression on Jacob and Embry, who would be arriving shortly, so I grabbed a quick shower, dressed in suitable work clothes and headed into the kitchen to make a hearty breakfast to help everyone start their day.

"MmMuh, B your gravy and biscuits are world class, top of the line, absolutely the best there is. God I'm glad Gran taught you how to cook and not'cho mama. Girl that was good!" Emmett rubbed his belly and leaned back in his chair while everyone else at the table praised the meal I had made them.

"Thanks guys, it's the same recipe Gran always used so I'm just happy I could get it right. She wasn't exactly the best at writing every step down so I had to go by memory on some of it."

"I hear you there Miss Bella. When your Gran first gave me her recipe box I thought the woman was half crazy givin' me a recipe box full of half empty recipe cards. When I asked her about the missing spots she just waved it off and said girl you can figure it out and if you can't just add some chicken broth to it and it'll come out just fine. I trust ya. Talking about being scared to death the first time I fixed dinner for everyone, I was terrified. I learned real quick-like though that she was right. If I couldn't figure it out chicken broth always made it turn out pretty good," Emily had a huge smile on her face, lost in her own memories of Gran.

Though I still missed my Gran something fierce and was far from being ready to end my mourning phaze for her, I liked to listen to other peoples stories about her. It made me realize that I wasn't the only one grieving.

"That was definitely Gran for you. Never a dull moment to say the least." I began to clear the table away and the others dispersed to begin their daily chores. Emmett kissed my temple and wished me luck with the new kids before he too headed to the stables to saddle up Romeo for a day of rounding up a handful of wild mustangs for breaking.

Emmett thought he was going to be cute and get Jacob or Embry on the back of one of the wild horses and let them get bucked. I tried to tell him that these were reservation boys and I was sure they had seen their fair share of horses and saddles but Emmett argued they didn't and swore up and down that he was going to be laughing his ass off by the end of the day. I really hoped he was wrong because I was so sure they would be great with mustangs that I bet fifty bucks and a day of shoveling manure, and I didn't want to lose that bet, not at all!

"Honey we're home." A loud booming voice echoed through the house startling me and causing me to drop a plate to the floor. In turn causing it to shatter into a million pieces.

"Shit! In here," I called back as I dropped to the floor to pick up the broken pieces.

"Oh, God Bella, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? Here, let me pick this up it's my fault." Jacob quickly dropped to his knees as well and helped to pick up the shards of ceramic.

"It's alright. I just wasn't expecting someone to be in the house besides me. Startled me is all." Once all the bigger pieces were picked up I rocked back on my toes to a squat and stood up. "There, now I'll sweep the floor and that will be that. All taken care of, see."

"I'm sorry for startling you like that. I won't do it again, I swear." Jacob placed a hand over his heart, showing his sincerity.

"Okay," I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face at Jacob's grammar school promise. "Where's Embry? Didn't you two ride in together?" From just the little bit of time I had spent with the both of them it was very evident that Embry was the one assigned to keeping Jacob out of trouble while the two of them were here. I made a mental note to tease Embry by telling him he was definitely slacking with his duties.

"Ah, that fuddy-duddy is back in our room putting his stuff up; he said I should be doing the same but I just had to stop in and say good morning to you and let you know we were here already. I couldn't help myself, I was anxious to get here and get started," Jacob excitedly rambled on and the more he talked the more animated his expressions and hand jesters became causing me to laugh at his enthusiasm. I had a feeling that this summer was going to be an unforgettable summer and it hadn't even begun.

"Do you boys want breakfast? I've got plenty left if you do," I was glad I hadn't thrown out the leftovers just in case.

"Nah, we ate before we came," Jacob motioned with a backwards wave of his hand.

"Okay, you know you guys don't start work until Monday so what are you interested in doing today and this weekend?" I could have sworn I heard him cough 'you' but eventually he cleared his throat and replied.

"I was hoping to saddle up one of the horses and take in a bit of the scenery; that is if you don't mind me riding one of your horses." Jacob ducked his head unsure of how I would answer him.

"That sounds like a good idea to me. When Emmett gets back I'll have him saddle you up one of the more seasoned horses and take you out, unless you are familiar with horses then I could take you out now and get you on your way." He gave me an eager grin that instantly lit up the whole room and I couldn't help but return it with my own.

Something about Jacob just put me at ease and made me feel warm and happy inside. It was like we had known each other all our lives, like we shared a bond of some sort.

"Yes ma'am I've been around horses my whole life. Remember I'm a reservation boy," Jacob pointed his right index finger into his chest and gave me his most innocent five year old grin. I think I loved Jacob Black from that moment on.

"Call me ma'am one more time boy and I'll put your nuts in a vice grip and squeeze them until they pop like grapes on wine making day." I grabbed at his left hand and proceeded to drag him out the side screen door.

"Yes Ma'-Bella," Jacob saluted with a laugh and willingly allowed me to pull him to the stables.

Walking into the barn our senses were instantly assaulted by the smell of hay, leather and manure. I loved the combined aroma that filled the air; it was the smell of the ranch, the smell of home, so I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes committing it to memory before pointing out where the blankets and saddles were kept.

"Hey B, there you are. I wanted to let you know that I'm heading out." I looked at him a little confused. I didn't recall him saying that he nor I needed any kind of supplies.

"My cousin called last night and he's going through some sort of crisis and asked if Alice minded flying out to help him for a couple weeks so I'm takin' her to the airport. I'll be gone the rest of the day. Do you mind putting me a plate up at dinner? I'll be starved when I get back." The fact that Emmett absolutely hated eating at fast food restaurants still made me giggle.

"Yea, sure. You be careful. Where's Alice now? I want to say goodbye."

"She's at the house packing the kitchen sink." Emmett rolled his eyes at his sister's over exuberant packing for any kind of travel. "I tried to tell her that I was sure the guy had a washing machine but she said it didn't matter she had to be prepared for anything. Crazy she is."

"Hey Jacob, I'll be back in a few minutes, I need to tell Alice goodbye," I called out in the direction of the saddle room.

"Sure, sure," I heard Jacob reply.

"Alice," I called through her house.

"In here," she called back.

"I just…" I froze in my tracks when I walked into her room because Emmett hadn't been kidding when he said she was packing the sink too. She had luggage everywhere.

A giggle escaped me and I quickly covered my mouth with my hand before it could escalate.

"I just, wow. Is all this really necessary?" I still couldn't get over all the bags.

"Yes it is, now come over here and sit on this, the zipper wont budge." I did as I was told and climbed on top of the suitcase.

Finally the zipper broke free from whatever was preventing it from zipping and I helped her pull it into the floor with the others.

I wrapped my arms around Alice and gave her a big squeeze.

"Bella, honey I'm only leaving for a few weeks," Alice assured, patting me on the back.

"Are you sure? It looks like you're leaving for forever." I placed one hand on my hip and motioned to her luggage with the other.

"Naw, I'd have at least ten times more than this if I was planning on leaving here forever. God bless the man I decide to marry one day." The spiky haired little pixie had one thing right. God bless the man indeed.

"Okay, well you be careful and come back home soon. I'll miss you tons." I wrapped her in a hug just the same as I had her brother.

Alice could be a little pushy some of the time, no who was I kidding, all of the time, but I loved her like she was my very own sister and I was going to miss her like something crazy while she was gone.

When I got back to the stables I looked around for Jacob but he was not where I thought he would be with the horses. The sound of wood being bumped around alerted me to his whereabouts. I stepped inside the stall-sized saddle room and much to my amazement I found him sitting on one of the saddled work-horses riding it like a cowboy would ride a bull at the rodeo.

I propped myself against the frame of the door and pressed my fingers to my lips forcing my giggles to stay away as I watched the show before me.

Jacob had both feet off the floor, which was a feat in and of itself with as tall as he was, his left hand holding tight to the front of the saddle while his right hand was wildly tossing his cowboy hat around above his head. After several seconds of bucking around the like a wild man he began to make a _'harrr' _sound that was meant to simulate a crowd roaring with cheers. I couldn't help but applaud the show too.

"I think you mastered that eight seconds, great job," I congratulated through my snickering.

Looking almost embarrassed, Jacob climbed off the saddle and grabbed a blanket and saddle from the wall.

"What can I say, I'm just that good," he boasted as he walked out of the room and out to the stables where we kept a few of the horses for riding. "What are those saddled work-horses for anyways, the kids or something?"

"Yea, that and for the people who come here that have never ridden a horse before. I'd much rather them learn to mount a horse from only a couple feet up rather than four or five feet when they get on a real one."

"That makes sense."

I took Jacob to the very last stall and introduced him to Starlight. Starlight was the second horse I had ever received. Moon Girl was my first; Gran had given her to me the first day I moved in with her when I was seven; she said a good girl needed a good horse and Moon Girl was the best. And she was, but she was old too and I didn't like taking her out for much more than a leisurely stroll.

Starlight was a beautiful stallion whose coat was white with medium brown cow spots on it and his mane and tail were white with streaks of the same brown throughout them. He was an American Paint Horse and was very good with children and when herding the cattle around.

"Starlight, this is my friend Jacob; Jacob, this is Starlight. Now, Star I expect you to be very nice to my friend. He wants to take you out today; can you show Jacob around the ranch and manage to be a good boy?" Star's ears flickered in excitement and his mouth nearly drew back into a smile. The horse nodded his head and stomped his front hoof as I ran the soft brush over his coat; he loved getting brushed and being talked to. "Good boy," I patted his nose when I finished with his brush down. Jacob instinctually began saddling up the horse while I began placing the harness on Starlight.

I praised the horse several times during his dressing, and just like a kid he, ate it up so I thought that a reward was in order for him.

"Jacob there is are several apple trees back in the middle fields, if you don't mind would you stop by there and feed a couple to him, he's been such a good boy?" I winked at the horse and he nearly mimicked the motion.

Jacob looked down at the ground -in embarrassment?- and nodded his head. "Um sure; hey, do you have a map or something of the property that I could use just in case I get lost?" _Crap_ I had totally forgotten the fact that Jacob had never been riding here before.

After wracking my brain for several seconds trying to think if I had a map or not I decided on something better for him.

"How about I give you the grand tour," I offered.

Excitement sparked in Jacob's eyes once again and he answered with a, "That would be awesome."

I ran back to the saddle room and grabbed my saddle and blanket and quickly chose one of Emmett's horses, Peyton-yes after Peyton Manning. Peyton sat nearly a foot taller than Starlight so when I rode him out of the stall to meet Jacob we sat nearly eye to eye with each other.

"You ready?" I asked with a challenging grin and an arched eyebrow.

"You bet," he replied, and we both raced out of the barn as fast as our horses would allow.

**EN: So there you have it Bella and Jacob are riding off into the wild blue yonder. So what do you think happens next? Let me know and leave me some love by pushing that little review button just under this message. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry for the delay in posting. I was on a Rob hunt but you'll hear more about that at the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 3- Surprise Arrivals**

"Man, this is beautiful." Jacob sat in awe looking over the valley below him**.**

The sun was high in the sky, allowing the cumulus clouds to cast odd shaped shadows across the valley and the nearby mountains before us. It was very peaceful.

"Yea, it is."

This was my most favorite place to come, sit, and think things through when it seemed my life was too chaotic. I'd been coming here since I'd first found this place when I was ten years old and was running away from home.

I came here a lot when I was a teenager; it helped to get me through my awkward years. I'd been here every day since Gran's death.

Some days I would pray; other days I'd just talk to Gran, and others I'd just sit here in silence and listen to nature. Gran was probably sitting on her pedestal looking down thinking I was crazy.

Maybe I was.

"All of this is yours." It was more of a statement rather than a question but I answered him anyways.

"Yea."

Time passed in silence as we soaked in the sun and the beautiful view before either of us spoke.

"Let's take the horses down there," I pointed to a pond that lay just at the base of the ridge we were sitting on. "The horses will need a good drink before we head back to the house."

"We've got to leave so soon?" Jacob still hadn't pulled his eyes from the view.

"I'm afraid so. You see the dark clouds on the other side of those mountains?" He nodded. "We need to beat them to the house or else we'll be soaked."

Jacob finally turned to look at me. He had the most adorable pout I believed I'd ever seen.

"But I don't wanna," he whined.

"Sorry buddy," I cooed, then spurred Moon Girl forward towards the ponds.

Everyday Jacob and I managed to find time to take a ride out to the ridge just to sit for several hours and take in the peacefulness. Everyday rain clouds warded us away and sent us racing back to the stables.

Each day we would take bets on who would beat who back, and I always won. I tried to tell him there was no use in betting his hard earned money on anyone but me. I must admit he took his beatings like a man.

Our conversations never extended beyond the ranch and what a wonderful person my Gran was.

Jacob and I raced home that day and, to my surprise, he beat me, but only by a little.

"I can't believe I let you beat me." I shoved against Jacob's arm, trying to push him into the stall door so that I could at least beat him out of the barn but it didn't work. He was like a seven foot wall of steel.

I would have compared his size to Emmett's but Jacob was more tall and lanky compared to Emmett's six foot, stout brick-wall-like build.

"Ahh, stop your whining; you didn't let me win. I won fair and square and you know it." He was boasting and I'd allow it…this time.

"Whatever," I told him, smiling. I was willing to brush it off as long as he shut up about it because across the yard I could see Emmett heading our way, and if he heard Jacob saying he beat me in a race back to the stables I'd never live to hear it down.

Jacob placed his arm across my shoulders and squeezed me to him. I could feel my face heat up at the intimate contact. He was warm and comforting until he opened his mouth, "Maybe next time." Then he ruffled my hair, officially ruining the almost moment, and ran a few steps away from me when I tried to punch at him.

Emmett jogged up to meet Jacob and I, a little breathless.

"B," Emmett's labored breaths drowned out Jacob's laughter.

"What's wrong, Em?" I could feel panic beginning to creep into me. Emmett looked worried.

"We've got some bad storms coming."

"Yea, Jacob and I saw some terrible black clouds headed this way over the Big Horn Mountains." I knew those clouds were too dark to be any good.

"Weather station says they've had several spottings of tornados and softball sized hail," he panted between heaving breaths. "We've got to get everything battened down; the storms are moving fast and getting stronger. You put the Star and Moon up, right?"

"Yes. -Okay, I can handle this." I took two deep breaths to steady myself then looked over to Jacob.

"You go find Embry and wait by the flower shed back behind the house. There should be flashlights in the nightstands in your room, grab them and your bed pillows and the rest of us will take care of everything else," I commanded him.

"We will help secure everything before we go wait," Jacob demanded.

"No, you don't know your way around the ranch like the rest of us and we may not have time to find you once everything is done and the storms are here. Go now."

Without another word Jacob began to run towards his and Embry's cabin, and Emmett and I headed back to the stables to secure the horses and lock all the doors.

We finished up with the last of the barns and met up with the others back at the house to make sure we were all together and ready to go to the underground shelter. A painful dread set into the pit of my stomach and I felt the urge to vomit. Somehow I managed not to.

"Everything taken care of?" I asked, picking up the last of the batteries from the table.

"Yes Ma'am," Ben answered.

"Then let's do this." We all headed out the back door and I waited for Emmett to bring up the rear to make sure that the door was locked before we placed a board up against it, bracing it with a two by four.

Worry must have been written all over me.

"B, everything will be okay. As long as we all stay safe, we'll be okay," Emmett assured me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"I hope so," I mumbled into his chest.

We made into the shed as the last of the group, besides us, disappeared down the stairs into the shelter. I went in first then waited for Emmett to lock us safely in the storm shelter. When we passed through the second door we joined our friends, who looked as worried as I felt. Emmett rummaged through a box that sat on one of the shelves and produced a weather radio. He quickly tuned it in and turned it up loud enough so that we all could hear.

Glancing around the room I noticed Jacob sitting on a sofa in the back corner of the room. He caught my eye and patted the seat next to him, motioning for me to sit with him.

With trembling legs I turned to take a step in his direction. When I did, I felt my body slightly sway, and as it did, Emmett wrapped his arm around me, steadying me. Without letting me go, Emmett grabbed a chair and sat down in it, pulling me into his lap.

Jacob gave me a disappointed look but how could I resist the comfort of my best friend when I was as scared as I was? I couldn't. So I sat wrapped in Emmett's large, secure arms as he rocked and reassured me that everything would be fine.

After what seemed like forever, the buzzing of the weather radio lulled me into a dreamless sleep.

"B, wake up babe. It's over," Emmett whispered into my ear while lightly shaking me.

"Hum?" I was still too groggy to comprehend.

_Where were we?_

_Oh, shit! The storm shelter._

"It's over! The tornados!" I rubbed at my eyes and sat up as comprehension washed over me. I looked around the room, franticly checking to make sure everyone was still there and was okay. They were.

"Yea, it got pretty bad there for a little while; it sounded like the doors were going to be ripped off, but you slept right through it. You must have been really tired." Emmett chuckled, "The new kid wear you out that bad?"

"Not hardly." I shoved off of Emmett's lap. It was just like him to make jokes when things were bad. Of course, that was one of the many reasons why I loved him all the more.

"How long was I out?" I rubbed at my eyes, removing the sleepy sand that had gathered there.

"'Bout two hours. Did you know you still talk nonstop in your sleep?" Emmett ruffled my hair, creating more of a mess.

"I do not!"

"Do too," the others laughed around us, confirming Emmett's words as the truth. I could feel a crimson blush rushing over my face.

_Gah, I could have gone the rest of my life without Emmett finding that out!_

"Has anyone tried to get us out of here yet?" I asked, looking around at my friends who were beginning to rise from their seats.

"You were kind'a sleeping on our battering ram." Emily smiled at me and pointed at Emmett.

"Oh, I guess I was. Sorry," I apologized, running my hands through my hair then stuffing them into my back pockets. I was a little embarrassed.

"It's okay B," Emmett puckered his lips and placed a loud, wet, sloppy kiss on my cheek. "The winds only died down a few minutes ago," then he walked up the stairs to the latched doors.

After several very forceful pushes against them, with no luck, Jacob offered to help. A couple of times they almost made some headway in opening the doors but still fell short of pushing the debris away enough to allow us an exit. Finally, Embry offered to assist them and within seconds the three men had the doors open.

The damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

At first glance, trees and limbs were laying all over the yard and a large branch was across the house. Some metal sheets were missing from some of the roofs –which ones was yet to be seen- and a few windows were broken on the main house and one of the close by cabins, but other than that, everything was okay.

"It'll take a few days for the insurance adjuster to get out here to file a claim, but once he's gone we can start fixing everything until it's good as new." Emmett was good at reading my emotions, and I'm sure the despair I was feeling was very evident to him.

Jacob and Embry had only been working on the repairs from before the storms for a week and now all their hard work was literally blown to smithereens. The destruction left behind by the storms wasn't devastating by any means, but it was enough to keep a whole crew of people working nonstop for several weeks; a whole crew of people that I really didn't have nor could afford.

I just nodded. I knew he was right and that all of the physical damage that the storm had done was one hundred percent fixable, but it didn't really ease my uneasy feelings. This tourist season was going to be hell and all this just added to it.

I was proverbially screwed!

The ground was too wet for Emmett and me to take full stock of the damage the storms and tornados had caused, so we all opted for covering the windows of the main house and the damaged cabin with pieces of plywood to prevent further water damage.

Tucker, with the volunteer fire department down the road, came by to make sure that everyone was okay and to cut off all the gas lines until we could see if they were damaged. I thanked him with a glass of Emily's homemade lemonade and sent him on his way.

I walked with Emmett over to his house to see what havoc had been wreaked over there and, to our surprise, his house was virtually unscathed. Only a few stray limbs lying around and his screen door had blown off. We didn't go beyond the back yard but from where we stood we could tell there really wasn't much damage at all to his barn or his tool shed. We'd have to wait until the next day to check his fences and mine as well.

It just went to show you how unpredictable Wyoming storms could be.

We returned back to my house to find that Emily had rustled up sandwiches for everyone. The woman truly was a saint.

After we were finished, I washed the dishes, with Jacob's help of course.

"So you and Emmett, huh?" I knew Jacob was curious, especially after the affectionate display of me curling up on Emmett's lap during the storms and falling asleep.

"Yea, but not like you think." He snorted. "Really, Emmett and I are close; closer than close. He's like my big brother that I never had; only we're best friends too. He's always there for me no matter what." And it was true, all of it. He was my rock, my constant.

"Oh," was Jacob's only reply. Several dishes were washed and dried before he spoke again, "So he's not your… boyfriend?" Ah, the truth behind the questioning.

Jacob wanted to know if I was seeing anyone. No I wasn't, but I wasn't sure what his intentions would be when he learned that fact. My last break up had been a rough one, not for me, but for Eric, and I wasn't sure I was really up for a replay.

Not to say that Jacob was like Eric in any way, because he wasn't. I knew this much and I'd only known Jacob for a few days and I'm sure Jacob would make a wonderful boyfriend. He was caring, friendly, happy-go-lucky, funny, and sexy as hell on a stick; all the things any girl could hope for in a guy. But, having only known him for a little more than a week I wasn't sure if I could have more than a working relationship with him.

Yet.

"Listen, Jacob," I started, my voice loaded with enough confidence to let him down as easily as possible.

"Jake," he interrupted.

"What?" He totally confused me.

"Jake, call me Jake. Jacob is too formal and we're friends right?" Jake flashed his pearly whites at me and gave me a wink. He knew exactly what I was about to say and he, evidently, didn't want to hear it.

_Sly, damn the boy's good._

I returned his smile and nodded my head, "Yea, friends."

And it was just that simple; Jake had carved his way into my heart where he would always stay.

I put the last of the dishes away and we went into the living room where the others had congregated.

"Anyone have any luck with getting cell phone service?" I had checked the land line, and, like the power, it was out too. I needed to get a hold of Charlie to let him know we were all okay. He was the police chief out in Chad and I knew he would be beside himself with worry if he knew the storms were heading my way, like I'm sure he did.

"I didn't," Emily and Ben both announced.

"Well look at this, would'ja? I've got two bars." Emmett pointed to the screen of his phone with a victorious smile, "Now that's why I love Windom Wireless. They have service everywhere and under all conditions, guaranteed."

"Great." I snatched the phone from his hand and plopped down on the couch to call my dad.

I made it quick, just the technicalities. There was a lot of damage, but we were all okay, and that's all he cared about. He was busy, it seemed the same storms that tormented us had also hit them and he had to deal with vandals and thieves that were taking advantage of the power outages. I informed Charlie that if he needed to reach me that he could call Emmett's cell phone because we were experiencing outages, too. He told me he would and the usual dad-like cautionary things before we hung up.

I handed the phone back to Emmett and thanked him.

It was getting dark outside and night was quickly rolling in over the mountains. I sent up a silent prayer asking that the worst of the storms be over.

"No prob' babe. I think I'll head over to the house and get some shut eye and meet you guys here, bright and fuzzy, in the morning. Maybe then we can pull out that old generator and see what we can do with her. G'night everyone," he called out.

"Goodnight," everyone in the room returned.

"M'kay, sounds good." I hugged Emmett good-bye then turned to the others, "You guys are more than welcome to find a place here to sleep just in case the storms return… or you can go back to your own quarters. I don't think the employee living quarters were damaged by the storms."

I was reluctant to give the latter option for fear that everyone would leave me to my own devices for the night, and if they did, I wasn't sure how well I would fair. I was already to my breaking point, as far as my stress level was concerned, before all the damage that was done by today's storms. I wasn't sure what would become of me once I settled down and tried to sleep, and I really didn't want to be alone when it happened. Even if everyone was in other rooms, I would still be comforted by knowing that I wasn't in my big house all by myself.

There were mutters from around the room and finally Jake spoke up and said, "If it's okay with you, we'll all just crash here for tonight."

"Okay, good." I nodded then set to the task of finding pillows and blankets for everyone and showing them to the bedrooms.

The only problem that I had was how I was going to squeeze all six of us into my modest three bedroom house? Ben and Angela took the first bedroom, Emily took the couch and Embry braved Gran's old room. Lucky for him, I'd had new mattresses brought in a couple weeks back. That left me in my room and Jake… well I wasn't exactly sure where to put Jake.

"You got a pillow and blanket for me?" Jake asked with a less than happy smile on his face.

"Um, yea, let me get it for you. Where are you going to sleep?" I so wished I had a spare couch or maybe one of those hide-away beds that we kept out in the tenant's quarters for when the guests needed extra sleeping space.

"I'll just sleep on the floor in the den. I'm a pretty limber guy; I think I'll manage okay." He laughed humorlessly.

"No! You can't sleep in the floor. I won't allow it!" I snatched back the blanket I was about to hand him.

"Well what do you suggest I do then," he snapped at me before continuing with his rant. "I'm not sure Sam would appreciate me snuggling up on the couch with Emily and I'm definitely not sleeping in the same bed with Embry. I can barely tolerate sharing living quarters with him, let alone a single room or bed, not to mention that's just gross. Emmett's already gone home and is probably dead to the world by now and Ben and Angela… well I'm not even going to go there and that only leaves you. So unless you are going to welcome me into your bed for the night then I'm sleeping on the floor in the den." Jacob huffed like a five year old, crossing his arms over his chest.

He was tired, it had been a long day, and now he wanted to go to sleep but I couldn't live with myself if I allowed him to sleep on the floor. I could be an adult about this.

Really I could.

"Okay." I could handle a guy being in my bed for one night. Never mind the fact that he's tall, dark, and sexy, very sexy.

"Okay what?" I nervously gnawed on my bottom lip before I answered his question.

"You can sleep in my room in my bed tonight," I clarified.

"And where will you sleep?" Jake asked suspiciously.

"In my bed with you." Maybe if I acted nonchalantly about it he wouldn't know I was nervous as hell about having him in my bed so close to me.

I mean it wasn't like I saw Jacob as a love interest. I only saw him as a friend; a really sexy, tan, well toned, sweet-as-sugar friend.

Yea, a friend with benefits maybe. _Bella Swan, stop that train of thought this instant!_

Jake arched an eyebrow and smirked, "You sure?" He thought he would call me out on my offer, thinking I would take it back, but I wasn't going to. I could do this.

"I'm sure. Now let's get to bed." I couldn't help but give Jake a smirk of my own in return on our way through my bedroom door.

Finally, everyone was settled in and the house grew unbearably quite. I could hear Jake's steady breaths and could tell he was sound asleep. _If only sleep would find me so easily_, I thought as turned back to my side for the umpteenth time.

Time ticked on.

How much?

I wasn't sure, but eventually I fell into a restless sleep.

_Running. _

_I was running as hard as my feet would take me. _

_Where?_

_I wasn't sure where. All I knew was that I had to keep running or 'it' would catch me._

_What was 'it'? _

_I had no idea but I knew I couldn't let 'it' get close._

_I was panting and…moaning?_

_I was slowing down. Bright colors were swarming around me. It felt good to be surrounded by the warmth, the colors._

_Another moan escaped me. Then I heard a voice call to me._

"_That's right Bella, let it go. It's just a bad dream."_

_Wait? Was that Jake calling out to me?_

I began to rouse from my less than restful slumber.

I could feel warmth wrapped all around me.

I moaned yet again and then I could feel them.

Two large hands roaming my body and massaging me in places that hadn't been touched by someone other than myself in a very long time.

"Nugh," I couldn't stop the sounds that radiated from me. Lord help me, I knew it was wrong to let this continue but I just couldn't bring myself to stop it.

"That'a girl. Just relax and replace those bad dreams with something good." His breath tingled across my skin when he whispered to me.

Fully awake now I turned onto my back. Jake's hardened member brushed my leg in the process but I was much too wrapped up in what was happening to my body to be concerned by it.

I thrust my hips up, eager for more friction.

"Jake we shouldn't," I rasped out between heavy pants.

"Shhh, just feel good Bella. In all the bad that's happened around you, you just need to feel good right now." And I couldn't agree more with him at that moment as my insides flared to life with the anticipation of release.

Jake removed his hand from between my legs and ran it under my shirt up to my breast where he strummed his fingers over my erect nipples. What started out as a disgruntled groan quickly turned into a hiss of pleasure at the new sensation.

My hips moved of their own accord, flexing up and down while Jake's hands continued to fondle my breast. I moved both my hands from where they were once fisting the sheets below me up to pinch and tug at my nipples, rendering his hands useless there.

"Jake please, I need more," I begged, pushing my head back further into my pillow, eyes shut tightly.

He obliged and moved his fingers back down towards my waist, stopping only long enough to drive me crazy as he lightly ran his fingers around my navel.

"Please," I pleaded. He was driving my primal need to an all time new high.

Once again, he didn't disappoint, as he ran his hand under the waistband of my shorts and under the barrier of my panties. His long fingers found their prize of hot, womanly flesh and wasted no time in delving in.

He stroked me from front to entrance, then back again before finding purchase on my clit. My thrusts became ruthless and I could tell by the tightening of the muscles in my stomach that I was on the brink of release.

Small, rapid pants filled the air, "Ahhh. –Oh. Oh," I whimpered out as my world toppled over into pure pleasurable release.

"That's it Bella, just like that. Release all the stress, all the worries." Jake's hands were sent from heaven, that I was sure of.

As I came back into myself I realized that I was still pinching at my nipples and felt more than slightly embarrassed. Jake removed his hand from my shorts and quickly I pulled my hands back to my sides, not really sure of what to do next.

Lucky for me, Jake knew just what to do. He placed an innocent kiss to my forehead and bid me goodnight, wrapping one of his arms around me, pulling us into a spooning position. It didn't feel sexual or possessive, maybe a little protective and comforting, but nothing more. Together we drifted off to sleep and, fortunately for me, my nightmares were not quite so bad the rest of the night, and I was able to get some much needed sleep.

The next day wasn't as awkward as I was afraid it might be between Jake and I. Breakfast consisted of imitation Lucky Charms and fresh fruit. _Taste the rainbow. _At that thought I instantly blushed, remembering all the beautiful colors from my nightmare during the night, before Jake had woke me up.

Soon Emmett came over and I made a call to my insurance company. They assured me that they would have someone out by the end of the day to do assessments and that a check would be made out to me for the repairs while the adjuster was here. This was a good thing because I really hoped we would be able to do most of the repairs ourselves if we all worked together.

I told the guys what the insurance people said and they agreed with me that we would be able to do most of the repairs ourselves with little or no outside help.

Emmett insisted that no one try to clean up anything around the yard, saying that the insurance company would figure in cleanup cost with the repairs. So, that being said, we pulled back all the curtains in the mess hall and dusted off our stock of family game night games.

"Oh, oh, we have to play Family Feud!" Emmett bounced up and down in his seat, unable to contain his excitement. It was times like these when it was very evident that Emmett and Alice were true brother and sister. Neither could contain their excitement, at all.

Thinking about Alice made me miss her.

"Hey Em, did you get to talk to Alice last night and let her know we were alright?" I hadn't heard him mention Alice in a few days.

"Yea, she called me right before the weather people issued warnings for us. You know her and her uncanny ability to predict things, well, she called to tell me to get everyone and go down to the storm shelter but that everything was going to be okay." Everyone gave him arched eyebrow expressions. "She's a freak, we all know this, except you two maybe." Emmett pointed in the direction of Embry and Jake then shook his head.

"Anyways, when she called last night she said to tell you she bought you some things from New York and not to say anything about not wanting it because if you do, and I quote, 'she will force you into doing a fashion show for everyone'. And you know she can do it, so just accept what she got you, m'kay?"

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises." Everyone laughed at my expense. For the most part, everyone knew I hated playing dress up with Alice and would do just about anything to keep from it.

We began our game of Family Feud with Emmett as our announcer.

"What are the top five things kept in a woman's purse?"

It was my team's turn to go first, and my team consisted of myself, Embry, and Jake; so to say we were screwed with this question was an understatement.

"Embry, you're first young man." Emmett cracked me up with his boxy announcer's voice.

"Um, ink pen," Embry asked, unsure of himself.

"Do we see ink pen?"

"Yes, it's in the number three position, earning you fifteen points. Jake, on to you. Do you know what you would find in a woman's purse?"

"A pack of post-it notes," Jake confidently answered.

"Annnk. Wrong. That's strike one. Tell me Bella, you're a woman, right?" Emmett smirked at me, knowing good and well that I never carried a purse with more than my money and identification.

"Yes, Emmett, and I say money."

"Let's see if money could be on this list and yes, money is in the number two position, earning you twenty eight points. Very good Bella; now back to Embry. Embry, do you know what else could possibly be in a woman's purse?"

"A tampon, maybe?"

"The survey says? Annnk, strike number two. Jake, man, it's back to you. Think hard, do you know what the majority says is in a woman's purse?"

"Identification?" Damn it, Jake took my next answer.

"Survey says? Ding, you've managed to save the day Jake. Now, Bella, back to you. For the win, do you know what is most likely to be found in a woman's purse?"

_What else could be in a woman's purse? We've listed everything possible._

I was at a total loss; I had no idea and, just as I was about to concede to the other side, I heard a feminine voice with a southern drawl announce, "Why it's lipstick of course."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to see my two favorite cousins in the whole world, Rosalie and Jasper Hale.

**EN: I got to see Rob shirtless! For those of you who don't know, Robert Pattinson is filming Water for Elephants, well he was filming it will wrap today, near to my home town and I stalked him mercilessly for 5 days. Along my hunt for Rob journey I got to meet some very special people. Friends that I will always hold dear to my heart. Really Rose T(from fffw), Cherrish, and Kelly were the best part of my week long escape and Rob was just a perk. ;) They are officially my ROBFFs! If anyone would like to see pictures of my Rob hunt pm me and I'll give you the link to my blog where I have posted the pics.**

**Now if you will please leave me some love!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter posted. To make a long story short I got a new job with extream hours, nuff said, right? **

**I want to send a huge shout out to my beta Lindz. You are the comma queen babe and I heart you so hard for it. So without further ado, I give you chapter 4. Happy Reading!**

Chapter 4

"Oh. My. Gosh," I squealed and jumped up from my seat, hurtling myself at the both of them.

"Hey'ya Bellabee. It really looks like you're getting a lot accomplished sitting in here on your fanny." Jasper's southern drawl was much more prominent then I remembered. Of course I hadn't seen him since I was thirteen either.

"Naw, we're just waiting for the claims adjuster to get here and cut me a check for the damages. Emmett says they'll give me money to help with the clean up too so we figured we'd play a little game of Family Feud while we wait." I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed him tightly. He smelled of sunshine and peaches.

I was beside myself with joy that they had decided to finally visit the ranch but a little bummed that I would be very busy during their stay.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. What do ya say Sis? You up for a little family fun time?" Jasper elbowed Rosalie in the ribs causing her to gasp and draw her attention away from the group that sat behind me.

"Yes, I think I'd like to play." She had a smirk about her that I wasn't sure where to place but then she finally turned to look me in the eye and smile sweetly at me.

Beautiful was an understatement when describing Rosalie. She was tall, about five foot and ten inches, and had long blond hair that hung in large ringlets down her back. Her eyes were as blue as the pristine skies on a cloudless day; a complexion that every girl would die for, not too tan, not too pale, just perfect. The curves of her body sloped to show off her exquisite figure. She was a southern belle, a true debutant, the epitome of southern refinement. I mean she even went to finishing school for Christ's sake.

She looked refreshed and full of excitement; no one would even be able to tell she just spent the last six hours on an airplane.

She pulled me into a quick hug before releasing me and asking who my friends were. I went around the room naming everyone and Rosalie and Jasper greeted each one with a touch of their southern hospitality. When I made introductions to Emmett I noticed that he had dropped all of his props for the Family Feud game to the floor and was looking at Rosalie like he was a blind man seeing the sun for the first time.

"Um, this is Emmett." I gestured towards my cousins. "Emmett, this is Rose and Jazz."

Rosalie was returning Emmett's relentless stares. It was like they were locked in their own little world.

"Nice to finally meet you Emmett, we've heard so much about you." Jasper offered his hand to Emmett for a handshake but when Emmett didn't offer a hand in return Jazz put his back down.

With a dry laugh he looked over to me and said, "You got a room we can put them in? I think they're gonna need a few minutes alone." Then he waggled his eyebrows at me causing me to giggle, effectively breaking the spell between Rose and Em. Both looked away blushing and creating an awkward silence.

Jake took the opportunity to pipe up, "So, we gonna finish this game or what?"

"Yea, where were we?" With a confused expression, Emmett, picked his game pieces back up from the floor while Angela gave him a refresher of the score and what was going on. Rose chose my team since she had already given us an answer, leaving Jazz to join the others.

I cast a sideways glance at Jake giving him a sly smile to which he returned. Jake was the master at defusing awkward situations and I was very glad I was able to benefit from it.

Again.

"So what brings you guys up here?" My curiosity was getting the better of me.

"Our mom called Charlie when she saw news clips about the storms that came through here. He told her about the damage out here and we hopped the first flight to come out and help. She sends her regards and wishes she could come out to help out but you know she's really sick, right? There was no way she would've been able to make the flight out."

I nodded. My Aunt Barbra, Rose and Jazz's mother, had stage four cancer and wasn't doing well, at all, last I had heard.

"You guys didn't have to come out here and help me, not with Aunt B's health like it is. You should have stayed with her." They were really close with their mother, something I always envied about them. I couldn't imagine how hard it was for them to be away from her right now knowing the end of her life was nearing rapidly.

"Nonsense, we've all made peace with the fact that she's dying and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Mom said she didn't want us around when she died because it would be too sad." Rose sighed. "She hates sad. She was the one who insisted we come on out instead of calling you first." Rose paused lost in her thoughts. I could tell it was harder for her to be away from her mother than she wanted it to be. "The lady from hospice said that the recent test showed a lot more deterioration in her blood counts from last time they were run. They don't think it will be much longer. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if dad called in the next few days to tell us she's gone. She's been so cheerful the last few days that I wondered, or rather hoped, that she was getting better but I know she's not and really it will be kinda' a relief if she dies while we're not there. I couldn't imagine walking in and finding her the way you did Gran. I'd have nightmares for years, that's for sure."

I nodded in understanding because it would have been so much easier on my psyche if I would have received a phone call about Gran's death rather than be the first hand witness that I was. But either way it was hard to accept Gran's death; she was like my mother. It was her that raised me into the person I was, not Renee.

We wrapped our arms around each other in a tight, comforting embrace for several seconds before Emmett cleared his throat and began to speak again. "The beauty sitting before us here stated that lipstick is the number one thing that ladies keep in their purse. Let's see what the survey says?

"Ah ha, we have a winner! Lipstick is the number one item found in a woman's purse." Rose and I begin jumping up and down. Why me? I'm not so sure, why Rose, well these type things always seemed to excite her. It must be a southeastern thing.

"Bella, I can't believe you didn't know that…. Well on second thought yea, I can." Rose gave me a sly grin and a fist bump to Emmett who had his hand extended to her. As soon as their fists touched, Emmett's, face lit up like a Christmas tree.

It appeared as though my cousin was charming the pants off my best friend, literally, and I couldn't help but be happy about it. She deserved someone like Em in her life. He was a good man.

After the other team had a chance to make guesses on the next topic we had to go into a sudden death round. When that was finished we all grabbed a snack and by that time the claims adjuster had arrived.

He quickly scanned over the ranch and made his assessments. He determined that the ranch had obtained nearly one hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of damage and wrote me a check there on the spot. To say I was astounded was a major understatement.

Who knew that the trivial things that were tattered and broken cost so much to replace? Not me.

"Well we should probably get started by making a run to the Home Depot to get some supplies," Emmett suggested.

"Yea and I'll call John's Lumber first thing in the morning for a load of lumber. Why don't you, Jacob, Embry and I go out to the store and Ben, you, Angela, and Emily make a list of all the small repairs that you've noticed, that way we can start with those and maybe get several of them knocked out tonight."

"What about us. What do you want us to do Bella?" Jasper sounded like a small left-out child.

"Um,…"

"You guys can come with us to the store. We can always use a few extra hands in the Home Depot," Emmett cheerfully offered, wiggling his fingers in the air.

Rose eagerly jumped up from her seat on the sofa and came to my side. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea," she agreed.

"Well let's go then!"

Our trip to the Home Depot was adventurous to say the least.

The first fifteen minutes were spent looking for a couple of those humongous dollies that you put big things on. After we found them Emmett insisted that Rose and I take a ride on them. I amenably refused but Jake was having none of that. He picked me up and sat me on the center bar threatening me to hold on, or else. By then Emmett was holding Rose's hand and helping her into position on the center bar.

She looked much more comfortable than me as she side straddled the bar rather than full on leg on either side straddled like me.

It started out all fun and games with races up and down the isles that is until I was catapulted off of my dolly into a stack of two by fours earning me a round trip to the local ER.

-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-

_**EPOV**_

It was the same song and dance, and had been since Tanya gave birth to our youngest daughter, Maddie. "I've got a meeting", "It's dinner with a client", "I need some time to unwind", "It's girls' night out." Every night it was something, anything, to keep her out until bed time for the girls came and went.

Now that the girls were seven and ten they didn't even ask where their mother was in the evenings, they knew. Kayla, could care less where her mother was; she knew her mother was avoiding us, them. Maddie would occasionally mention that she missed her but would never ask for her.

Maddie broke my heart when she was little and would carry one of her mother's shirts around with her just to feel close to her. I could remember Kayla doing the same thing when Tanya first started her whole staying away bit, only it was a whole lot worse. Kayla would walk around and cry all the time. She was usually a very calm child but when Tanya would leave she would throw the most terrible fits. She would trash her room, and refuse to eat until her mother came home. Needless to say, she didn't keep this routine up for very long before she learned that Tanya wasn't coming back anytime soon.

She couldn't understand why her mother suddenly had nothing to do with her. She had always been a momma's girl and stuck to her like glue, but that was before Maddie came along and everything changed.

At times I could see resentment in her eyes for Maddie. She knew it wasn't Maddie's fault but still she couldn't hide her emotions when she wanted her mother's attention and could not get it.

Maddie on the other hand, was quite adjusted to not having her mother around now. She didn't even ask for, or about her anymore. She was totally satisfied with catching the occasional glimpse of her mother in the mornings when Tanya's hangovers would keep her home longer than intended.

My Nanny, Heidi, was the girls' motherly figure. She was a sweet older woman with silver-peppery hair that cared for the girls when I had to work.

Being an accountant had its advantages, meaning that I was able to work from home often.

Most days, I would take the girls to school and pick them up. Our usual afternoon would consist of eating an after school snack at Eva's Delights, then homework, and after all that was finished we would walk through the park on the days the girls didn't have choir practice, piano, or violin lessons. I tried to keep them as active as they would allow me to.

My mother always said, "Idle hands ended with trouble." So I made it a point to keep them busy with something, even if it was reading.

"Ta, you know its Maddie's birthday. Just this once would you behave like her mother and stay for dinner with your family instead of going to the bar." I knew no matter what my pleas were she wouldn't stay, but I had to try for Maddie's sake.

A flash of recognition came across Tanya's face and for once in Maddie's seven years I thought that Tanya might stay and spend the evening with us but of course that recognition didn't last long.

"I am not _just_ going to the bar and you know that! I'm meeting with some very important clients tonight and if they decide to go with my designs then it will mean more to T Cullen Designs then just some silly cake and ice-cream." Tanya finished the last of her makeup and more than anything I wanted to slap the new coat of lipstick right off of her face, but I wouldn't hit a girl. My mother taught me better than that.

"That _silly cake and ice-cream_ means the world to our seven year old daughter," I declared, inches from her face.

I was thankful for having the mind enough to sound proof our room when we moved into our condo.

"Did you get her that damned Barbie Dream House or whatever you said she was pitching a fit for?" I nodded my head, too furious to answer her. "Then, _that_ is what will mean the world to _our_ daughter and once she gets it, she won't care if I'm here or not.

"So why make an appearance at all?" she grumbled under her voice as she shoved passed me.

"Because she's your flesh and blood and you gave birth to her." She slammed the door effectively ending our conversation.

"Damnit!" I yelled out into the nothingness.

To say I was mad was a huge understatement, I was furious. I was shaking, and seeing red.

I wanted to go after her and drag her back in the house by the hair of her head. I wanted to force her to sit and eat dinner, then cake and ice-cream. I wanted to make her watch as our daughters face lit up with excitement when I brought out her mountain of gifts that were a small compensation for her inactive mother.

No, what I really wanted to do was pack up the girls and leave her sorry ass behind.

And that's when it dawned on me.

I really could pack up the girls and leave. Tanya wouldn't fight me for them that was a fact and I had family out west that I hadn't visited since I was just a young boy.

_I wonder what ol' Emmett is up to these days?_

With a plan quickly formulating I picked up the phone and called my ever exuberant cousin, Alice, and arranged for her to come help me get the girls things together and ready to be moved. We were going to Wyoming.

"Yea, so you'll be on the ten-thirty, red-eye, flight your time. That means you'll be arriving here at two-thirty in the morning," I stated.

"_That won't do, the girls don't need to be out that late. I'll find a flight that will get me later on in the morning."_

"Are you kidding me? Once I tell Kayla and Maddie that you are coming to visit they won't sleep a wink. They'll be too excited." I heard a squeal on the other end of the line.

"_I can't wait to see them. It seems like it's been forever. I bet they've grown so much. Oh, you are doing Maddie's cake and ice-cream tonight, right? Save me some please." _Alice finished up her babble and I could hear her clapping her hands. She was so easily excited.

Alice and Tanya never saw eye-to-eye, even as teenagers, so when she and I married, Alice distanced herself from me and my new bride. It hurt my feelings a great deal, Alice and I had always been like bestfriends, but I understood that it would have been too awkward for Alice to be so involved in my life when she could hardly stand to sit in the same room with Tanya.

Now, I found myself feeling much the same about Tanya as Alice did all those years ago, and still did.

"Well, I can't wait to see you. I think it will take a couple of weeks to get everything in order for me to pull the kids out of school and make all of the proper arrangements with my work but once everything is squared away we can head back to Wyoming with you. That is, if it's okay with you and Emmett for us to stay with you guys until we can find us a place and I can find work." I had no idea what I would be able to find along the lines of work out in Wyoming, I was sure that accountants weren't in high demand there, but I wasn't opposed to manual labor.

"_Nonsense, of course you and the girls can stay with us as long as you like. You are family, and family is always welcome in the Cullen house, you know that. Hey, maybe Bella can hire you on her ranch. She's getting ready for the tourist season and can use all the help she can get right now. Oh, oh, I know…" _I heard another squeal and more clapping.

All I could do was laugh and shake my head. It seemed that Alice's wheels were turning faster than my own.

"_K, well I've got to go. I'll have to pack. What's the weather like in Chicago right now? Oh, you know what? I'll just pack a little bit of everything so I'll be prepared. I'll even bring my galoshes just incase I have to kick Tanya in her dumb butt while I'm there."_ I couldn't hide my amusement over Alice's comment. I could just picture my tiny, pixyish cousin in a pair of brightly colored rain boots kicking the shit out of my wife. I'd pay good money to see that.

"Well, it's all set! Your flight is booked and the girls and I will see you at the airport at two-thirty. Alice, thank you so much for all of this. You just don't know…"

"_You're welcome and think nothing of it, you would do it for me in a heartbeat."_ There was a pause over the line and I could hear the sound of shuffling papers. I assumed it was Alice already packing. "_I'll see you then. Give the girls a hug and kiss for me. Edward, it's all going to be okay. I just know it."_

"I hope so," I added but the line was buzzing where Alice had already hung up.

_Hope._

That was what I was going on from that point forward. Hope that I could get my girls and I far enough away that Tanya would be just a distant memory to us all and maybe, just maybe, we could find peace and happiness once and for all.

EN: Hope you enjoyed a little peek into Edwards life. If you would please leave a review and tell me what you thought and where you think it's headed, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks for reading!


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